Means for mooring and housing airships



Sept. 15, 1931. w. v. N. POWELSON ET AL 1,823,063

MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIEE Filed Sepi. 21, 1921 119 Sheets-Sheer. 1

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Sept. 15, 1931. w. v. N. POWELSON ET AL 1,323,063

MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Fil ed Sept. 21, 1921 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.

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MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 21, 1921 19 Sheets-Sheet 4 N v EN T0 ms W/L F/f/D v, /v. POM/EL 50 W4 REE/V 77m l/EL L Sept. 15, 1931-. w. v. N. POWELSONi ET AL 1,823,063

MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 2-1, 1921 //V VE N 7'0/75 WILFEIO K IV. POWEL60N WARREN TEAL/ELL Sept. 15, 1931. w. v. N. POWELSON ET AL 1,823,063

MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 21, 21

19 Sheets-Sheet 6 INQ LWN

Sept. 15, 1931. w. v. N. POWELSON ET AL 1,823,063

MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS l9, Shets-Sheet 7 Filed Sept. 21, 1921 wmv INVENTURS! W/LFR/a r. M Pam EL .s'o/v Sept. 15, 1931. W. v. N. POWELSON ET AL MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 2 1921 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTURS W/LFfi/D KMPOWEL50/V WHERE/V TFflVELL BY M Sept. 15,1931. w. v. N. POWELSON ET AL 1,823,053

MEANS FOR MOOR-ING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS .Filed Sept. 21 1921 19 Sheets-Sheet 10 IN VE' N TORS w/z. rem l .'MPO WEL-SON WARREN Tfi/I VELL;

Sept. 15, 1931. w. v. N. POWELSONET AL 1,823,053

MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 2 1921 19 Sheets-Sheet l4 INVENTORS:

W/LFR/D MMPOWELSON 'W/mfiE/v TIMI/ELL Se t. 15, 1931. w. v. N. POWEL'SON ET AL 1,823,063

MEANS FOR MO'ORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIBS Filed Sept. 19 Sheets-Sheet 15 Y H J W/JRREN 77m VELL BY r12 Sept. 15, 1931.

w. v. N. POWELSON ET AL MEANS FOR MOOR ING END HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 2 1921 19 Sheets-Sheet l6 *MME WARREN TH/YVELL .Sept. 15, 1931. w. v. N POWEMLSON ET AL MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 21

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Sept. 15, 1931. w. vv. N. POWELSON ET AL 1,323,063

MEANS FOR MOO RING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept.

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MEANS FOR MOORING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 2 1921 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 ll l I VI ll //////Ig6Z/////////// Patented Sept. 15, 1931 units stares WILFBID V. 15. POWELSON AND WARREN, TRAVELL, G1 YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR IQOGRING AND HOUSING AIRSHIPS Application filed September 21, 1921.

This invention relates to improvements in means for mooring and housing airships.

gnu

. these hangars are not infrequent, due to the inability or human hands to hold the airships securely in position, by reason of the very great forces that are frequently applied to the surface of the airship by the wind. All hangars at present in use have a very large cubic capacity as compared with the cubic capacity of the airship; also hangars built to accommodate an airship of a given size may not be increased to accommodate a larger airship without practically destroying the building.

it is an object of this invention to provide housing facilities which are free from the above mentioned defects. We propose to construct an airship shelter preferably either wholly or partly under ground, conforming to the shape of the airship, and providing opportunities for inspection and repair that are not available in any type of hangar now known to the art, into and from which the airship is moved vertically under mechanical control, with freedom from the dangers heretofore incident to entrance and exit.

A low structural roof movable on horizontal tracks is provided to cover such a pit when excavated below the surface of the ground,

and other methods for securing protection from the elements are also provided herein, so that the safety of the house and its contained airship is absolute against destruction by high winds. In time of war a large hangar as built in the past offers a well marked target to the enemy for destruction. One constructed according to this invention not only is much better protected but may be easily camouflaged so as to escape observation. Moreover the cost of construction is greatl reduced; and such a pit may be enlarged at any time to provide for airships of Serial No. 502,127.

larger size, readily and without any destr-uction of existing structures.

Our invention provides for a modification 01 this shelter pit in which the pit is shallow, being 01 such depth that only the lower part of the airship is contained therein, the upper portion of the envelo e of the air ship being used as a root. trips of weather-proof material between the envelope and the edges-o1? the pit complete the protection against rain, snow, etc. Protection against the destructive force of wind is obtained for airships thus. housed in shallow shelter pits, by means of inclined planes so constructed and so located that wind is de-.

flected upward over the protruding airship.

For entrance of the airship into the shelter pit, and for safely handling it during its exit therefrom, suitable vertical ropes leading to winches are provided. This invention also provides a suspended cradle in which the airship rests when within the shelter pit, and ropes or other means for securely'holding it in position while thus housed.

For handling an airship on its arrival at a station, and for controllin its descent into the shelter pit, its berthing, removal and launching, the invention provides safe, efficient and economical means closely correlated with each other and with the housing improvements already described and all taken together constitute a system for the handling of airships at a station which is not only new and useful, but which, by eliminating the risk and great expense hitherto attendant upon such operations, will assist greatly in making the use of airships commercially successful.

F or such safe and eiiicient handling of an airship, we provide a mooring tower at one end of the shelter it, with which may be associated another tower movable on a track which encircles the'pit. Another modification of the invention is the arrangement of a shelter pit with track encircling it, and two mooring towers movable thereon, the track being so located with respect to the pit that after an airship has been moored between the towers, the towers may be moved on the trac LO such a position that the airship is directly over the shelter pit. Within 

